ISABELLA
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF ONE
OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL
he exhibition of
the life of Isabella
Blow, renowned
fashion editor
and stylist who nurtured the
likes of Alexander McQueen
and Philip Treacy, at
Somerset House is one that
is one that is beautifully and
sensitively curated. It starts
with the beginning of Blow’s
life with family pictures of
her childhood in post-war
1950’s Britain when she was
still Isabella Broughton, a girl
born into British aristocracy
with a family sear at
Doddington Hall in Cheshire.
BLOW
CHARACTERS IN THE FASHION
INDUSTRY OF OUR TIME.
T
You are not only met with
exclusive family photographs
and articles of the time
when Blow was growing
up but also short film clips
with Philip Treacy and
other friends, in the midst
of creative endeavors.
One particular piece that
is a huge highlight is Tim
Noble and Sue Webster’s
sculpture ‘Isabella Blow’
made of a Manolo Blahnik, a
taxidermy raven and other
paraphernalia that Blow
handpicked. The result was
a sculpture that, when hit by
light, projected a shadow of
Blow’s profile on the wall
behind. We are then treated
with a rare sight, dozens
of mannequins dressed
with pieces of Alexander
McQueen and Philip Treacy’s
graduate MA collections
and A/W 1996 collections
that were bought by Blow
and contributed to their
subsequent fame. This
section shows the beginnings
of these now renowned
designers and celebrates the
talent Blow saw in them. The
exhibition itself is a treasure
trove for anyone with a love
for not only the glamorous
53
but the poetically beautiful.
Some of Blow’s most
remembered outfits are on
display, curated by Shona
Heath who referenced
from archival documentary
images, showing not only
her perfectly talented and
trained eye but also her
extraordinary originality that
made her stand out as one
of the most stylish women
of our time. Blow was
quoted as saying: “Fashion
is a vampiric thing, , it’s the
hoover on your brain. That’s
why I wear the hats, to keep
everyone away from me”. »
What follows is a section
dedicated to Blow’s love of
Treacy’s hats and countless
pairs of Manolo Blahnik’s
along with letters, magazine
shoots that Blow styled and
directed and other beloved
items of Blow’s. The ending
of the exhibition is probably
one of the most emotional
I have ever encountered.
It talks to us about Blow’s
death by her own hand
and the S/S ‘08 collection
created for her by Alexander
McQueen and Philip Treacy,
entitled “La Dame Bleue”,
in commemoration of her
brilliance and nurturing
nature. It is a show that is
54
simultaneously celebratory
and painfully sad, and one
that can bring a tear to the
eye of many viewers who
never had the pleasure of
meeting the late and great
Isabella Blow. †